A compression fitting is typically a tubular sleeve containing seals. The fitting is compressed in radial directions to engage the ends of pipes. The compression fittings form a leak resistant joint between the pipe ends. The joint has considerable mechanical strength and is self-supporting. In order to compress the fitting, a crimping tool is used.
A typical crimping tool includes an actuator and pivoting crimp arms or jaws. The actuator may be a hydraulic actuator that includes a hydraulic cylinder with a piston. The piston includes rollers that contact the crimp arms or jaws. In operation, a hydraulic pump builds up hydraulic pressure in the cylinder to press the piston with its rollers against the arms or jaws. The rollers engage ends of the jaws in line engagement and cause them to pivot and crimp the compression fitting disposed between the jaws.
Depending on the intake angle of the rollers on the ends of the jaws, significant crimping forces may be produced. As a result of these intense forces, the arms or jaws undergo intense forces when crimping and can fail. In many instances failure of the jaws result in a crack or deformation that either prevents further use of the jaw assembly or that is readily visible to the user of the crimping assembly. In such instances, the potential for an incomplete and improper crimp is typically avoided because the jaw assembly cannot be used, or the user of the crimping tool will observe the crack or deformation and thereafter have knowledge that the jaw assembly cannot be relied upon to produce a complete crimp. However, for certain sizes of crimping assemblies, especially for smaller-sized crimping assemblies, there is the potential that the failure of one or both of the jaws could result in a crack occurring in the jaws that does not render the jaw assembly unusable and that is not readily observable by a user of the assembly. Under such circumstances, there is the potential that the user of the crimping assembly will continue to make crimps with the cracked jaw assembly, potentially leading to inferior or incomplete crimps. Such inferior or incomplete crimps are undesirable.
The present disclosure is directed to an improved jaw assembly that will tend to inhibit or avoid the occurrence of a condition where a cracked jaw occurs and/or continues to be used for crimping operations.